School Threats Prompt Review Of Forsyth Campuses, New Task Force

FORSYTH COUNTY, GA — A new School Safety Task Force will conduct a comprehensive safety assessment of all Forsyth County school campuses, Forsyth County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden and Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman announced Tuesday.

They are commissioning the task force with an objective of completing a comprehensive safety assessment of all Forsyth County school campuses and review of possible security improvements. The task force will be led by Major Joe Perkins of the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and include additional FCSO deputies, staff from Forsyth County Schools as well as representatives from the Forsyth County Fire Department and Forsyth County Emergency Management Agency.

The formation of the task force comes after a 15-year-old was arrested Thursday and a 16-year-old on Wednesday, both for making threats against their schools. Police said they interviewed a student who made a false statement Friday as rumors of a gun at North Forsyth High School Friday circulated.

These arrests happened only days after 17 people were killed at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., by alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19.

Over the next several weeks this assigned task force will complete a review of existing policies and conduct physical surveys of all Forsyth County public school campuses, to include elementary, middle, and high schools. They will engage the community on ideas and concerns as they review security needs. The task force will prepare a thorough report of their findings on each campus and what potential safety improvements are recommended.

The report will be presented to both Freeman and Bearden in April, thus aiding decisions made on what steps can be taken to further ensure the safety of children and school staff.

The sheriff's office said on their Facebook page, "The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office is committed to securing the safety of our schools and will continue to have enhanced presence on campuses, even beyond our current 28 School Resource Officers. We appreciate the outpouring of information from students, teachers, and parents to our campaign of 'see something, say something.'

"We will continue to exhaustively investigate all tips or threats related to school safety," continues the post. "The Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and Forsyth County Schools are committed to working together with our community to safeguard the security of our children."

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